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Yale Founded to Fight Liberalism

Dan Graves, MSL

It may come as surprise that when Yale University was founded on this day, October 16, 1701, it was by
Congregationalist ministers unhappy with the growing liberalism at
Harvard. It wasn't called Yale then, of course, but rather the
Collegiate School. The ministers donated forty books and declared their
objective, that "Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences
who through the blessing of God may be fitted for Publick employment
both in Church and Civil State."

The huge campus of today, with over one hundred buildings was not
conceived. In fact, the first classes were held in the residence of Rev.
Abraham Pierson, its first rector. Not until 1745 was the school moved
to New Haven and renamed Yale.

The name change was in honor of Elihu Yale, a successful merchant who
made a donation of goods valued at $2,800. This was equivalent to the
annual income of about fourteen medical doctors. The purpose of the
renamed school was "To plant and under ye Divine blessing to propagate
in this Wilderness, the blessed Reformed, Protestant Religion, in ye
purity of its Order and Worship."

Students were required to "live religious, godly and blameless
lives according to the rules of God's Word, diligently reading the Holy
Scriptures, the fountain of light and truth; and constantly attend upon
all the duties of religion, both in public and secret." Prayer was
a requirement. Furthermore every student was instructed to
"...consider the main end of his study to wit to know God in Jesus
Christ" and "to lead a Godly, sober life."

For many years these high ideals were followed. One faculty member
wrote around 1800, "It would delight your heart to see how the trophies
of the cross are multiplied in this institution. Yale College is a
little temple: prayer and praise seem to be the delight of the greater
part of the students."

But fathers cannot ensure the fidelity of their sons. Today Yale's
original ideals have faded. The school is a liberal institution with
utterances and actions that are politically correct. One suspects that
students are less likely to pray persistently than to engage in
political protests.